Joost Pauwaert (BE, °1985) loves heavy wooden and metal machines and objects such as anvils, cannons and giant saw blades. He makes the machines himself, starting from technical challenges. Can he make a heavy anvil balance on a spring? Or catapult it and catch it in a funnel? Can he make his own cannon? Or make two cannons fire at each other simultaneously so that the cannonballs hit each other and deform?
The artistic beauty of these ventures derives from the originality of the questions, on the opposite side of the usual forms of artistic expression.
Actually, they precede and take us back to times when science and art were closer to each other than today. Or they lead us back to fundamental questions in sculpture, which always had to do with gravity and density.
Here we come closer to a fundamental poetry, which stems from the beauty of things themselves.
(text by Hans Theys)
Selected exhibitions:
2022
Art on paper / Group show / Vanderborght Building / Brussels, BE Duo show / Marco De Sanctis ‘Sturm und Drunk’ / Dauwens & Beernaert gallery / Brussels, BE
Performance ‘A new study for an end of the world, Homage to Jean Tinguely’ / hosted by Pizza gallery / Beernem, BE
Group show / ‘Works on paper’ / Barbé-Urbain / Gent, BE
Duo show w/ Kris Martin / Gevaertsdreef01 / Oudenaarde, BE
Solo show / ‘Het vliegende aambeeld’/ Emergent / Veurne, BE
Duo show / Joost Pauwaert & Guy Slabbinck ‘Dead Parrots and Flying Hammers’ / Bruthaus gallery / Waregem, BE
2021
group show, ’PASS kunstroute’,initiated by Krist Martin, curated by Jan Hoet Jr., Mullem, Huise, Wannegem, Lede, BE
group show, ‘XL’ ,Barbé Urbain gallery, Gent, BE
solo show ’Concerto for Two Cannons, a Saw, an Anvil and Some Hammers’, Barbé Urbain gallery, Gent, BE
2020
group show ‘STAYCATION’, a group show on location, Barbé Urbain gallery, Gent, BE
Presentation of permanent installation ‘Twee Grote Hamers’, Verbeke Foundation, Kemzeke, BE
2019
group show ‘Foudroyé’, Barbé Urbain gallery, Gent, BE
group show JETSAM, Avee gallery, Kortrijk, BE
group show BIENNALE VAN BELGIE, Floaralïenhal, Gent, BE
duo show BEATING THE BUSHES in de ruimte, Gent, BE
2018
group show NIGHTSHIFT, de studio Antwerpen, BE
group show PERFORMANCE ART WEEKEND, P/Rops Gent, BE
duo expo 13 YEARS OF HYSTERIA , Blanco, Gent, BE
2017
solo SOUTERRAIN , Artist’ studio, Gent
